I don't know about you, but my makeup brushes can get a little out of control sometimes. I have so many, and they're so skinny, it's hard to keep them organized. I was in line at Jo Ann Fabrics last month and saw this adorable mason jar.. wait for it.. with a handle! I wasn't sure what I was going to use it for at the time, but I knew I needed it. (I have about 7 or 8 different types of mason and glass jars strewn about my room for various purposes, so I just added this to the collection!)
I was doing my makeup one morning and grabbing for one of my eyeshadow brushes -- which I kept in a little pocket of one of my acrylic makeup storage bins [see below at the very end for a photo of what I am talking about!] -- and realized how terribly they were stored.
And.. voila! This idea was born.
I know a few other beauty bloggers and DIY-ers have made their own versions of these types of makeup brush holders, but I decided to create my own unique spin on the idea!
If you want to know how to create this adorable chalkboard and pearl makeup brush holder, read on!
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Start off with a basic jar big enough to hold however many makeup brushes you want to fit into the finished holder. Put all the brushes into the jar before you modify it just to make sure it's the size you want!
Next, grab some chalkboard paint. I got this at Jo Ann Fabrics, and you can pretty much pick it up now at any type of craft store out there. I decided to go with an off-white color to match my room -- the brand I used called their shade "sheepskin." But there are so many different colored chalkboard paints now! At Jo Ann's, I saw pink, purple, blue, green, classic black.. you name it. Use whatever color will match your room! I also like this color because you can draw on it with any color chalk and decorate it to match any color palette.
Paint a square-ish block of the chalkboard paint onto the side of the jar. I made mine sort of like a rectangle shape, but you could do anything! A circle or a heart shape would look adorable on this makeup brush holder. I chose to keep the edges of my paint rustic and brushed the paint itself onto the jar in a very purposely messy way. If you want a super smooth application (the way chalk would write on a typical gradeschool-type chalkboard) I recommend using a sponge paint brush for a very even coating of paint. But since I wanted mine antiqued, I roughly brushed mine on to leave streaks.
I applied two coats of paint. Depending on the type of paint you use, wait until each layer dries completely til you apply another coat!
Once the paint has dried completely, take a bunch of jewelry pearls and fill up the jar about half way. I picked up a combination of sizes and creams/whites. These are relatively inexpensive -- if you're lucky you can find them at the Dollar Tree! But these pearls were only about $1.20 a pack from Jo Ann's.
Once you add the makeup brushes back into the jar, it should look something like this! You can arrange them however you want, but I like the way it looks when you just sort of stick them all over in no type of order.
The last part is the fun part! Using whatever color chalk you prefer, draw any design on the chalkboard paint! Obviously, with my (lack of) color palette, I chose to use a chocolate-milk color chalk and drew a little heart. I dabbled with the idea of writing "brushes" or "june" in cursive, but I liked how simplistic the heart looked on my desk.
[If you like the framed glitter letters on my vanity, check out my other DIYs!]
And if you don't like what you draw, wipe it off with a paper towel or tissue, and start again! That's the beauty of chalkboard paint.
For the record, this is what my makeup storage on my desk looks like now! Clearly this picture was taken before I added my pearls into my mason jar, but you get the idea! This makeup is on the opposite side of my desk from what is pictured in the photo above. All of my makeup brushes used to be crammed into those little acrylics containers on the very top.. which was extremely crammed and ineffective. What a difference a little re-organization and craftiness can make!
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This adorable little mason jar can be used as a makeup brush holder, but can be used for other things as well! You can add pens and pencils into it on a computer desk, as a holder for any eyeliners/lipliners, as a jar for extra coins and change (if you don't fill it with pearls), or even a flower vase with some pretty artificial (or real!) flowers! The possibilities are endless.
Get organized and make something cute at the same time. It's affordable and fun to create, and since it's a "chalkboard," the look never needs to stay the same!
xojaybee
